It's great when it works.. The app has been quirky. It keeps disconnecting and the Pons PT head just goes all over the place instead of my waypoints or sometimes just doesn't work. Almost cost me a production day on a high budget shoot. Luckily, we got another slider to get what we needed. I love the product design and all but it needs to be reliable.
Happy to hear it isn't just me running into some buggy behavior. They do seem to release firmware updates fairly regularly, so I'm hopeful they're at least working on squashing some of the quirks. The Pons PT seems to be at the heart of the problem as I haven't yet had any issues with the slider alone.
@@TheOriginalGregToo Yeah, when I first got it, I had no issues at all. Pons PT head was so good. I believed that some people just got a bad copy but later on I got the same issues. But yes, I think it's an easy firmware fix. I'm hopeful as well!
I haaaaate mobile phone apps.. They never work very good. Best ones out there are DJI… And that’s not saying much. Even they are finicky as hell. I just want devices to have full physical control and stop giving us apps that don’t work .. or halfway work ..
Zeapon released a new slider (Zeapon Axis Pro) that has full physical controls, I think it might be a good option, although it isn't a double distance slider
This is by far the best Video on the Zeapon Slider and I did buy it immediately :D My Camera is a RED Komodo X and with Lens and Battery attached it is about 3.5kg, so below the maximum Payload of 4kg in Vertical and the Pons PT Payload. Sadly it could not handle the moment I expected (just small b_roll movement of tech reviews). Because of the weight the Head flexed so hard that the shoots weren't level anymore and there is no way of compensating that :/ So I returned it and bought the Edelkrone System instead which is way more expensive. It also flexes unter the weight but it can be corrected at the head. The vertical function is way worse than Zeapon even with the vertical module. So I got the JobOne and even that is kind of a mess. Now I'm thinking of getting the Zeapon again because it had the least amount of compromises for the price...how does Pons PT handle your Venice/FX5/7? It is not able to rotate it (because of the short plate), but is it able to fully tilt and pan? Thank you!
It is super disappointing to buy this system and have zero support. The PONS PT system is shit, it has no precision, it is out of phase, it rotates too much or does not react to the adjustment and pauses when more than 2 stops are selected... the PONS PT only serves as decoration. It works to go from A -B without doing complex pan or tilt like tracking a product. and there is no intention to correct it or show face.
How is the backlash in the tilt motor? Also, What is the width from the center of the camera plate to the motor? Would a Komodo fit with a cage attached?
Is the app required for waypoints when using the pan / tilt? Their app has *not* been well reviewed. Would buy today if the full setup including waypoints with the PONS could be controlled on the device itself. Won't buy until an app is no longer required for basic functionality.
my production company just got one and set it up today and we’re having an issue we can’t figure out: the camera is off level by a few degrees when mounted on the PT head. did you experience this? it makes it pretty much unusable if we can’t get a level horizon :/
I have had the zeapon 2 for almost a year now. And it has been a great addition to B-ROLL And doing product videos. I have the motorized version but I don’t have the pons pt. I have been getting some nice panning and tilting with the fluid head I have attached to it without any shaking in the video. I would like to upgrade it to the pons pt dang is that thing expensive. But probably well worth it. I also learned how to do time lapses using it that are just phenomenal. My wife bought this for me for my anniversary for our anniversary. They definitely make quality motorized sliders. I was debating on the micro three but I didn’t need something that long. Plus I found out all my cheaper tripod would shake a little when it would go back-and-forth. I bought a nice video tripod plus some stabilizing arms like the ones in your video but the video tripod really is solid. Thanks for the video nice review
@@hanshuang4287 Which tripods would you suggest? I'm thinking about the Manfrotto 290 XTRA with the 3 way head. Any other suggestions would be more welcome!
just the overview i was looking for, thanks m8! the macro shot you got here is impressively smooth, have seen other videos that show a decent amount of bumps/jitters but this is reassuring
It's a beautiful slider. Just a question, I also use a Fuji (xt4), how do you manage the focusing on such a camera. I'm planning on shooting cooking videos all by myself and a slider would be awesome but I can't understand how to manage the focus when I'm in front of the camera especially on low F like 2 or even 1.2.
if you don't do with AF, maybe you need a follow focus system, which Zeapon hasn't developed yet, but you can still find some other alternative brands, and they work well, you need to control the focusing system manually to avoid interfering the stability of the slider.
Great review. I bought this full kit about 6 months ago. I was super impressed by the build quality, especially for the price. I also really like how small it packs, and how quick it is to setup and get rolling. My biggest issues are: 1. There still isn't an electronic follow focus despite Zeapon saying they would be releasing one soon. That isn't too much of an issue with normal shots, but I've found with macro shots the AF steps become visible as the macro lens I'm using is a photo lens, not intended for video (Canon R5 with the EF 100mm Macro). It would be nice for them to release this so that I could finally dial it all on and get better results. 2. The way the waypoints work currently is that you can set up to 6, but for whatever reason the motors come to a stop in between each waypoint, which essentially makes having 6 waypoints useless. It would be so much more functional if you could have it smoothly transition from one way point into the next, into the next, but as of now you can only really do that using two waypoints at a time. 3. The app is okay, but if you put your phone in your pocket after connecting to the slider, and then pull it back out to make a tweak, you have to reconnect to all of the motors. This isn't a huge deal, but I've found on set with clients its a total pain and slows things down considerably. 4. I have run into this weird quirk with the tilt motor where it kind of goes haywire when setting the camera tilt position, and it will just continue rotating even after I stop pressing the button. I don't know if this is related to the weight limit you talked about, but its pretty annoying. I'm definitely under the 4Kg you mentioned, so I don't know why else that would happen. It doesn't happen every time, but its definitely a thing that has happened to me repeatedly. I've contemplated reaching out to support, but I've heard they only really speak Chinese and that communicating issues is a problem. I'm curious if you've run into any of these issues, and if so have you found a solution? Thanks again for your great video, happy to have found your channel.
Hey Greg, 1. I heard Zeapon is going to release the follow focus next year, like in the middle of 2024, but I cannot for sure 2. This is a kind of algorithm issue, I actually asked the engineers, to make the speed in a curve or remove each waypoint pause is the same tech issue, a - b is a certain speed, but if the slider doesn't pause and goes next point the speed will not in consistence and PONS heads won't in sync with slider, it take time to rewrite the algorithm. 3. I feel just fine, It is not a fast setup but maybe enough for many situations?😂😂 4. Sounds like a bug, try to update the firmware and contact zeapon customer service, they have English support.
@@hanshuang4287 Thanks Hans, really appreciate the thorough response. Great to hear across the board. I spent some time playing around with the positioning of the camera on the Pons PT head after I left my comment last night. I wasn't able to recreate the glitch with the tilt motor. I'm wondering if it was a weight distribution issue where it was out of balance. I'd only ever experienced the issue on that one shoot, but at the time it must have happened a dozen times, even after a full system reboot. I also did fully update the firmware last night, so maybe that solved the problem. Definitely hope that the team at Zeapon continues to expand the system and refine the app. It seems like a really great system, and like I'd mentioned the build quality blew me away for the price.
It's great when it works.. The app has been quirky. It keeps disconnecting and the Pons PT head just goes all over the place instead of my waypoints or sometimes just doesn't work. Almost cost me a production day on a high budget shoot. Luckily, we got another slider to get what we needed. I love the product design and all but it needs to be reliable.
Happy to hear it isn't just me running into some buggy behavior. They do seem to release firmware updates fairly regularly, so I'm hopeful they're at least working on squashing some of the quirks. The Pons PT seems to be at the heart of the problem as I haven't yet had any issues with the slider alone.
@@TheOriginalGregToo Yeah, when I first got it, I had no issues at all. Pons PT head was so good. I believed that some people just got a bad copy but later on I got the same issues. But yes, I think it's an easy firmware fix. I'm hopeful as well!
I haaaaate mobile phone apps..
They never work very good. Best ones out there are DJI…
And that’s not saying much. Even they are finicky as hell.
I just want devices to have full physical control and stop giving us apps that don’t work .. or halfway work ..
Zeapon released a new slider (Zeapon Axis Pro) that has full physical controls, I think it might be a good option, although it isn't a double distance slider
@@LuizFontes I saw that, thank you. Unfortunately I already own the Micro 3 and Pons PT head.
This is by far the best Video on the Zeapon Slider and I did buy it immediately :D
My Camera is a RED Komodo X and with Lens and Battery attached it is about 3.5kg, so below the maximum Payload of 4kg in Vertical and the Pons PT Payload. Sadly it could not handle the moment I expected (just small b_roll movement of tech reviews).
Because of the weight the Head flexed so hard that the shoots weren't level anymore and there is no way of compensating that :/
So I returned it and bought the Edelkrone System instead which is way more expensive. It also flexes unter the weight but it can be corrected at the head.
The vertical function is way worse than Zeapon even with the vertical module. So I got the JobOne and even that is kind of a mess.
Now I'm thinking of getting the Zeapon again because it had the least amount of compromises for the price...how does Pons PT handle your Venice/FX5/7? It is not able to rotate it (because of the short plate), but is it able to fully tilt and pan?
Thank you!
Looks very nice! Thank you for the review! Your English is perfect for people like me (Italian) who don't speak it perfectly 🙂
It is super disappointing to buy this system and have zero support. The PONS PT system is shit, it has no precision, it is out of phase, it rotates too much or does not react to the adjustment and pauses when more than 2 stops are selected... the PONS PT only serves as decoration. It works to go from A -B without doing complex pan or tilt like tracking a product. and there is no intention to correct it or show face.
How is the backlash in the tilt motor? Also, What is the width from the center of the camera plate to the motor? Would a Komodo fit with a cage attached?
Last time I watched one of your videos I bought the thing you were talking about. I'm afraid of watching this video. But I can't help myself! ;)
Window shopping ;)
Thank you ZY just an excellent video review. I subscribed and liked and will be buy this system.
I'm seeing a lot of issues in the comments with reliability.
Whoaa 2.23😂😂😂...becareful on the nice camera
Is the app required for waypoints when using the pan / tilt? Their app has *not* been well reviewed. Would buy today if the full setup including waypoints with the PONS could be controlled on the device itself. Won't buy until an app is no longer required for basic functionality.
They are releasing the new slider called the AXIS,,, the slider motor and pan motor are 1 unit!
how heavy was your macro setup? what lens did u use? really can't get that smooth shots. its swining by itself with the camera mounted =/
Hey there, is it normal that when u start off the 3 axis, the 1st second is unusable? Mine will jerk at the very beginning of the movement
my production company just got one and set it up today and we’re having an issue we can’t figure out: the camera is off level by a few degrees when mounted on the PT head. did you experience this? it makes it pretty much unusable if we can’t get a level horizon :/
I have had the zeapon 2 for almost a year now. And it has been a great addition to B-ROLL And doing product videos. I have the motorized version but I don’t have the pons pt. I have been getting some nice panning and tilting with the fluid head I have attached to it without any shaking in the video. I would like to upgrade it to the pons pt dang is that thing expensive. But probably well worth it. I also learned how to do time lapses using it that are just phenomenal. My wife bought this for me for my anniversary for our anniversary. They definitely make quality motorized sliders. I was debating on the micro three but I didn’t need something that long. Plus I found out all my cheaper tripod would shake a little when it would go back-and-forth. I bought a nice video tripod plus some stabilizing arms like the ones in your video but the video tripod really is solid. Thanks for the video nice review
A reliable tripod does matter, cheers!🙌
@@hanshuang4287 Which tripods would you suggest? I'm thinking about the Manfrotto 290 XTRA with the 3 way head. Any other suggestions would be more welcome!
Thanks for the tutorial. I like your way of talking. Very clear and easy to listen to :)
have you tried micro 3 + heads + probe lens? looking for footage everywhere please help
just the overview i was looking for, thanks m8! the macro shot you got here is impressively smooth, have seen other videos that show a decent amount of bumps/jitters but this is reassuring
Sure wish you had a review on the Sony ZV-01
Men, i’m so happy to subscribe you because of your creative mind and introducing awesome products that i can trust 🔥🙏🏼🔥
Thank you so much! I appreciate that!
It's a beautiful slider.
Just a question, I also use a Fuji (xt4), how do you manage the focusing on such a camera. I'm planning on shooting cooking videos all by myself and a slider would be awesome but I can't understand how to manage the focus when I'm in front of the camera especially on low F like 2 or even 1.2.
if you don't do with AF, maybe you need a follow focus system, which Zeapon hasn't developed yet, but you can still find some other alternative brands, and they work well, you need to control the focusing system manually to avoid interfering the stability of the slider.
this slider is awesome, been using it too
Great review. I bought this full kit about 6 months ago. I was super impressed by the build quality, especially for the price. I also really like how small it packs, and how quick it is to setup and get rolling. My biggest issues are:
1. There still isn't an electronic follow focus despite Zeapon saying they would be releasing one soon. That isn't too much of an issue with normal shots, but I've found with macro shots the AF steps become visible as the macro lens I'm using is a photo lens, not intended for video (Canon R5 with the EF 100mm Macro). It would be nice for them to release this so that I could finally dial it all on and get better results.
2. The way the waypoints work currently is that you can set up to 6, but for whatever reason the motors come to a stop in between each waypoint, which essentially makes having 6 waypoints useless. It would be so much more functional if you could have it smoothly transition from one way point into the next, into the next, but as of now you can only really do that using two waypoints at a time.
3. The app is okay, but if you put your phone in your pocket after connecting to the slider, and then pull it back out to make a tweak, you have to reconnect to all of the motors. This isn't a huge deal, but I've found on set with clients its a total pain and slows things down considerably.
4. I have run into this weird quirk with the tilt motor where it kind of goes haywire when setting the camera tilt position, and it will just continue rotating even after I stop pressing the button. I don't know if this is related to the weight limit you talked about, but its pretty annoying. I'm definitely under the 4Kg you mentioned, so I don't know why else that would happen. It doesn't happen every time, but its definitely a thing that has happened to me repeatedly. I've contemplated reaching out to support, but I've heard they only really speak Chinese and that communicating issues is a problem.
I'm curious if you've run into any of these issues, and if so have you found a solution? Thanks again for your great video, happy to have found your channel.
Hey Greg, 1. I heard Zeapon is going to release the follow focus next year, like in the middle of 2024, but I cannot for sure 2. This is a kind of algorithm issue, I actually asked the engineers, to make the speed in a curve or remove each waypoint pause is the same tech issue, a - b is a certain speed, but if the slider doesn't pause and goes next point the speed will not in consistence and PONS heads won't in sync with slider, it take time to rewrite the algorithm. 3. I feel just fine, It is not a fast setup but maybe enough for many situations?😂😂 4. Sounds like a bug, try to update the firmware and contact zeapon customer service, they have English support.
@@hanshuang4287 Thanks Hans, really appreciate the thorough response. Great to hear across the board. I spent some time playing around with the positioning of the camera on the Pons PT head after I left my comment last night. I wasn't able to recreate the glitch with the tilt motor. I'm wondering if it was a weight distribution issue where it was out of balance. I'd only ever experienced the issue on that one shoot, but at the time it must have happened a dozen times, even after a full system reboot. I also did fully update the firmware last night, so maybe that solved the problem.
Definitely hope that the team at Zeapon continues to expand the system and refine the app. It seems like a really great system, and like I'd mentioned the build quality blew me away for the price.